Salary : $90,292.80 - $109,449.60 Annually
Location : City of San Diego, CA
Job Type: Varies by Position
Job Number:
Business Area: 1914 - Police
Opening Date: 08/28/2026
Closing Date: 9/21/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

JOB INFORMATION

See NOTE(S) below for future wage increases and/or additional compensation opportunities.

APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE FOLLOWING RELATED RECRUITMENT:

• Criminalist II

Criminalist I positions perform chemical, biological and physical analyses on narcotics, firearms, organic material and other substances involved in police investigations; prepare evidence for presentation in court; testify as expert witnesses; and perform other duties as assigned.

NOTES:

• Employees in job classifications represented by Municipal Employees Association (MEA) are scheduled to receive the following general wage increases:
  • 3.5% effective 7/1/27
  • 2% effective 7/1/28
  • 2% effective 1/1/29
• Eligible benefitted employees originally hired on or after July 10, 2021, will be automatically enrolled in the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS).

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

You MUST meet the following requirements on the date you apply, unless otherwise indicated.

CITIZENSHIP: You MUST be a United States citizen or have the current legal right to work in the United States.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: You MUST meet ONE of the following options:

1. A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college/university in Criminalistics, Forensic Science, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Digital Forensics, or Computer Forensics.
2. A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college/university in Computer Science or a closely related physical or biological science AND one-year of full-time professional Criminalistics experience in ONE or more of the following areas:

• Blood Alcohol Analysis
• Computer Forensics
• Crime Scene Reconstruction
• Digital Forensics
• Firearms Identification
• Forensic Biology
• Narcotic Analysis
• Toxicological Analysis
• Trace Evidence Analysis

COURSEWORK: Completion of the following college-level coursework:

• 8 semester/12 quarter college-level units in general chemistry.
• 3 semester/4 quarter college-level units in organic chemistry or biochemistry.

NOTES:

• Foreign degrees are acceptable if they have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from accredited institutions in the United States.
• A Master's Degree in Criminalistics or Forensic Science may be substituted for a MAXIMUM of ONE year of the required experience. However, a Master's Degree in Criminalistics or Forensic Science without a qualifying Bachelor's Degree is NOT qualifying.
• Experience performing comparative analysis of handwriting or latent prints ONLY is NOT considered qualifying.
• Additional qualifying experience may NOT be used to substitute for lack of the required education.
• City of San Diego employees using Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA) experience to qualify MUST submit written documentation signed by their appointing authority or payroll specialist, detailing the work performed, dates, and total number of qualifying OCA hours. OCA experience without the required documentation will NOT be considered.

LICENSE: A valid California Class C Driver License is required at the time of hire.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS (MUST SUBMIT WITH APPLICATION):

• Proof of degree/transcripts or equivalency evaluation, if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.
• Proof of transcripts showing completion of the required coursework, if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.
• For City of San Diego employees, proof of Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA), if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.

Required documents should be attached electronically to your application. If you are unable to attach at the time of application submittal, you MUST submit them as soon as possible via fax: (619) 533-3337; or to the Employment Information Center: City of San Diego Personnel Department, 1200 Third Avenue - Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101. Include your name and the title of the position for which you are applying.
SCREENING PROCESS

Please ensure all information is complete and accurate as the responses you provide on the supplemental questions will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in this initial screening process, your application will be reviewed for applicable education, experience, and/or training to ensure all minimum requirements have been met. Successful candidates will be placed on a list which will be used to fill position vacancies during the next six months (180 days). For each vacancy, only those candidates with the most appropriate qualifications will be contacted by the hiring department for an interview.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS: Employment offers are conditional pending the results of all screening processes applicable to this position, which may include the following: confirmation of citizenship or legal right to work in the United States; completion of a pre-employment medical review and exam (which may include drug and alcohol testing); reference checks; and fingerprinting. Fingerprints will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice for a conviction record report. Certain positions may require additional screening processes, including a polygraph examination and/or background investigation. All screening processes must be successfully completed before employment begins. A positive test result for alcohol, cannabis/marijuana, illegal drugs, or inadequately explained prescription drugs, or misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of pertinent facts in any step of the screening or selection process, may constitute cause for disqualification or termination of employment. Nothing in this job posting constitutes an express or implied contract for employment with the City of San Diego. Candidates must notify the Personnel Department of any change in their name, mailing address, email address, or phone number, otherwise they may miss employment opportunities.
Rev. 1 - August 28, 2026 (New Recruitment Date)
I understand that failure to respond to the following questions in the spaces provided may result in the rejection of my application. In addition, I may miss out on employment opportunities. Resumes are NOT reviewed for assessing the minimum requirements, qualifications will be determined from the answers provided to the supplemental questions.

• Yes
• No

02

Are you a current or former City of San Diego government/municipal employee?

• Current city employee
• Former city employee
• Current & former city employee
• None of the above

03

If you have previously worked or are currently working for the City of San Diego, please enter your PERNR.
04

The minimum age for this job is 18, unless you are 17 and a high school graduate. Do you meet the minimum age requirements for this job?

• Yes
• No

05

Which of the following do you possess? NOTE: You may select multiple choices and attach proof of degree/transcripts to your application.

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college/university in Criminalistics, Forensic Science, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Digital Forensics, or Computer Forensics.
• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college/university in Computer Science or a closely related physical or biological science.
• Master's Degree in Criminalistics or Forensic Science.
• None of the above.

06

Please indicate the coursework you have completed; you may select multiple options. NOTE: To fulfill the minimum educational requirements, you must have completed the General Chemistry coursework and either the Organic Chemistry coursework or the Biochemistry coursework. Please attach proof of your degree or transcripts with your application.

• At least 8 semester/12 quarter units of college-level course work in general chemistry.
• At least 3 semester/4 quarter units of college-level course work in organic chemistry.
• At least 3 semester/4 quarter units of college-level course work in biochemistry.
• None of the above.

07

How many years of full-time professional CRIMINALISTICS experience do you have?

• None
• Less than 1 year
• 1 year to less than 2 years
• 2 years to less than 3 years
• 3 years to less than 4 years
• 4 years to less than 5 years
• 5 years or more

08

In which of the following areas do you have full-time professional CRIMINALISTICS experience?

• Blood alcohol analysis
• Computer forensics
• Crime scene reconstruction
• Digital forensics
• Firearms identification
• Forensic biology
• Narcotic analysis
• Toxicological analysis
• Trace evidence analysis
• None of the above

09

Describe your full-time professional Criminalistics experience in the following areas: a. Blood alcohol analysis; b. computer forensics; c. crime scene reconstruction; d. digital forensics; e. firearms identification; f. forensic biology; g. narcotic analysis; h. toxicological analysis; i. trace evidence analysis. For each area, specify from which employer the experience was gained, your title, level of responsibility, percent of time spent on each area and the total length of your experience. If you do not have any experience in a specific area, write "None."
10

I understand that these positions are located in the San Diego Police Department and that candidates will undergo a comprehensive character and background investigation, including a polygraph examination and fingerprint check prior to hire.

• Yes
• No

Required Question